SOTA c18s01
Text Thankfully, the underground caverns had proven fairly easy to escape: there had been a large-enough hole in the ceiling for Luna and Scrivener to fly up to after the mare polymorphed a set of wings onto the stallion, and then they had simply placed themselves back-to-back once the passage had begun to grow narrow, pressing firmly against each other as they'd walked slowly up the walls of the tunnel. It was funny, but that part of the journey had been almost relaxing... then again, anything Scrivener and Luna did together tended to feel... well... the stallion didn't know how to phrase it, really. Things just always felt a world better when he and Luna were doing something together. Fighting, playing, anything and everything... it was always easier when they were working with each other. Even the worst things became almost enjoyable when they did it as one. They had eventually emerged out through an open stone well and into the desert: whether it was supposed to serve as a secret entrance or had really once helped supply water, neither Scrivener nor Luna knew or cared. The sapphire mare had been right though: they had come out at the mountainside's back. Neither pony was surprised when Twilight's spirit had sparked into existence nearby, looking at them with both worry and relief: with her physical body gone, she was little more than a Pale, but still able to sense their emotions, find them wherever they were, and communicate with them... although it was a little tougher. They both smiled at her, both embarrassed and concerned for her, but Twilight had shaken her head and instead turned, the spirit striding quietly through the desert and leading them on a narrow path around the mountains. They found Antares at the bottom of the pass, the young stallion splattered with mire, covered in bruises, his armor broken... but still alive. And Luna had hugged him fiercely, making her son groan in pain and twitch a little, then half-smile in relief before looking up as the mare said quietly: “'Tis time to withdraw. We must hurry back across the desert, as quickly as possible.” Antares had only nodded, and Luna and Scrivener had both smiled faintly before the spirit of Twilight mouthed something to the stallion, who nodded quickly as well. Twilight had vanished, and Antares had looked up nervously before his father explained quietly: “Twilight has to be a little more careful like this, but she's not rooted to any single place like your normal Pale is. She's going to warn Celestia, then find a place to safely hole up. We... we won't be able to get her a new body in this layer, but her spirit can still help.” Antares nodded again silently, and then the three ponies had looked uneasily over their shoulders at the fortress before turning and beginning to stride away. And Luna hated it: hated putting her back to the enemy, hated retreating, hated knowing that even if they had managed to do some damage, none of it was likely permanent. The chance of a monster like Cheshire being dead in the cave-in, after all, was minimal... and she was almost afraid to ask what had happened between Antares and the Replicant that had attacked him. They walked onwards through the desert in silence, and when Antares began to falter, without hesitation his parents gently picked him up and set him on Scrivener's back. And the young stallion looked embarrassed, but at the same time didn't struggle or resist, only smiling faintly as he rested quietly on his father's broad back as fatigue and pain wrestled each other in his body for dominance. The glossy-black unicorn hesitated, then he said finally, closing his eyes: “I'm sorry. I... I panicked when I fought Protelea. I got myself hurt instead of wearing her down, and only won by a fluke more than anything else.” “Feat not, my son. 'Tis not so different from the story we could tell thee about Cheshire.” Luna responded quietly, and then she sighed and shook her head slowly. “We may look the better, Antares, but I believe that first we were the worse.” Antares nodded a little, resting silently over his father's back for a few moments. Finally, he shifted a little, before asking in a quiet voice, unable to help himself and knowing that he had to try and find out sooner or later: “What... what happened? And are we going to be...” “No, no. Do not worry, I do not believe we are going to be pursued or ambushed... although all the same I do not believe that 'twould be wise to linger and tempt the Fates.” Luna paused, then added in a mutter: “Even if I have already bested them upon more than one occasion.” Antares smiled a little, and Scrivener shifted his son carefully into a more comfortable position, before both stallions looked towards the mare as she sighed softly. “I do not know where to begin. What, or even how to explain. For there are things as thy mother I direly wish to hide from thee, my son, to not appear... blemished. To continue to seem in thy eyes something worthy even when I am not.” “Mom...” Antares shook his head, sitting up a little before he smiled faintly, saying softly: “You and Dad... you're both important to me. More important than I think you guys really understand sometimes... I admire you more than a grown-up kid should admire his parents, I think.” He stopped, then shook his head slowly as they continued onwards, the young stallion closing his eyes. Their pace was steady and strong, keeping to a straight course... and while there were no landmarks pointing the way back to Appleloosa, the stars above seemed to be guiding them onwards, glowing brighter in a trail leading to the horizon. And around them, the night felt thick, the air was deep and dark... but it was like it was protecting them. Even though they were from another layer of reality, it was like the night itself still responded to his parents. How could he not admire that? How could he not admire that his parents had faced those terrible things without flinching, brought darkness against darkness, and if not won, still escaped from such an awful threat? And even though he could sense some strange sense of shame and pain in them both, they also mastered themselves: he knew every instinct in his mother's being screamed for her to turn around and charge back at that castle, after all, and his father... Antares shivered a little, and Scrivener looked over his shoulder, asking quietly: “Hey, are you okay? We can stop if you want, Luna can try and heal you.” “No, no... as it is, you're doing more than you should for me, Dad.” Antares smiled a little, trying to shift... but then he groaned in pain, getting a worried look from both his parents again before he shook his head and asked quietly: “And you guys never told me what happened.” “Well, for one thing, Scrivener Blooms and Twilight Sparkle pulled a most heinous stunt.” Luna muttered, and she glowered over at the stallion as he sighed a little. “Well, aye, I recognize that it saved our lives. But thou shall get a pummeling later, Scrivener Blooms. And Twilight Sparkle a spanking.” “You're just jealous that Twilight gave me head and not you.” Scrivener said before he could stop himself, and when Luna slowly turned to glare at him, the stallion added seriously: “Well, I guess she gave Cheshire head, too. Before she exploded.” Antares mouthed wordlessly, staring down at his father, as Luna slowly closed her eyes and dropped her head forwards as they continued across the tundra, and Scrivener grinned awkwardly before the sapphire mare glared at him. And then Antares stared as the mare whined: “Why in the name of Asgard does thou always manage to get all the good jokes?” Scrivener only shrugged and looked forwards, and Luna shook her head and laughed despite herself as Antares stared incredulously down at his parents before spluttering: “But M-Mom is... I mean, Twilight is... you... I... you...” “Sometimes when something bad happens... it's better to laugh about it instead of taking it too seriously. No matter how serious it is.” Scrivener smiled a little over at Luna, saying softly: “A certain troublemaking sister and her even-worse brother taught me that. And Twilight... Twilight is okay, Antares. She's going to hurt for a while, but right now she's only going to hurt because she's going to forget how much she helps out, just by being here for us. That there's more to why we care about her than because she's a powerful Lich. Yes, it sucks that now we won't have her fighting beside us... but I'm happy she'll still be there, in one way or another, beside us.” Antares nodded uneasily, shifting a bit on his father's back, and Luna glanced up at him with a small smile. “Besides, both Twilight and your father deserve... some mockery for their stupidity. And to be honest, so do I. We were badly beaten by... by a great mad fool, whilst it spat poetry and fairy tales.” She sighed a little, looking down and nodding moodily, and Antares hesitated before the winged unicorn said quietly: “But our foes... they must have a weakness of some kind, that we need to exploit. And how I wish that Sleipnir was here Antares... he, I, thy father and Celestia... now that would be a match for these accused scum that have stolen a temporary victory for themselves!” “We don't even know that much about our enemies yet, Luna. We need to be careful.” Scrivener was smiling a little all the same though, looking forwards as the mare grunted, before the stallion glanced up and added quietly: “Go ahead and sleep if you can. You look like you could use it. Besides, Celestia is going to want to debrief us all when we reach Appleloosa.” “I know.” Antares stopped, looking down for a moment before he asked quietly: “Did we lose this fight?” “Yes.” Luna said simply, looking up, and Scrivener's smile faded as Antares looked silently at his mother, before tilting his head in surprise when she smiled and looked over at him. “But thou cannot win every battle, every war, Antares. And nor should thou want to. We have gathered much intelligence about the enemy, and when next we attack the enemy... we shall not do so lightly. We shall not underestimate them, and furthermore, I doubt they will have their pet Kismet to help them out. Even a Great Reaper will not find it easy to escape the ice.” Antares nodded slowly, and then he let himself relax a bit, closing his eyes even as he shifted and shivered uneasily... but soon, he was in a deep, dreamless sleep. And when next he opened his eyes, he was surprised to find that he was no longer on his father's back, but laying in a comfortable cot, with a sheet pulled up over his body. He sat slowly up, and smiled faintly as he saw Meadowlark was half-slumped over the bed, dozing quietly. His eyes roved slowly around the room as he realized he must be out at Braeburn's ranch... before blinking in surprise as his eyes settled on the sight of his armor. It had been completely repaired and polished to a shine, and the stallion could barely believe it before he winced a bit and reached up to touch his chest with a curse. Bandaging had been wrapped around his body, and he looked nervously down at this before Meadowlark said softly: “Don't worry, Mir. It's just to help with the burns.” “Meadow...” Antares looked up with a smile as the Pegasus sat slowly up and yawned, and the stallion blushed a bit before he asked quickly: “Is everything okay here? Nothing happened, you're all okay?” “Yeah, we're all okay.” Meadow replied softly, and then she shook her head as she gazed at him with a quiet laugh. “You should be more worried about yourself, though... you were in bad shape when you got back here. I had to flush your bloodstream... I'm just glad Celestia seems to know almost everything about everything.” “Not nearly, but I've had many years to live and study everything that's taken my interest in this world. And I've always been blessed with a good memory.” came Celestia's voice, and the mare knocked politely once at the door before pushing it gently open. Her golden armor gleamed over her body, and Antares looked at this nervously... but the ivory mare only smiled softly, shaking her head and saying gently: “It's alright. I suppose... this just feels very natural to me these days. That, and I want to stay ready, just in case.” Antares nodded awkwardly, and then he cleared his throat, beginning to sit up... but Meadowlark reached out and gently took one of his front hooves, and Celestia said soothingly: “No, relax. And we're family, Antares... you are not my soldier, but my nephew. I want to know what happened, but only if you're feeling okay.” “Was I really that bad?” Antares asked nervously, looking up with a wince, and Celestia nodded slowly, the stallion frowning a bit before he reached up and rubbed slowly at his forehead. “I feel... I feel pretty good now, though. And I mean, I didn't feel awful before...” “You had parasites spreading through your bloodstream, sapping nutrients from your body.” Celestia said quietly, and Antares looked up with a wince, shivering a little. “It's alright. Meadowlark and I were able to clean the infestation from your body. The worst you have to worry about now are the burns you sustained, but Meadowlark already applied a salve. Take an hour or two more to rest, we'll need you on your hooves and at your best for tonight.” “Tonight?” Antares looked up in surprise, and Meadowlark looked up curiously as well as Celestia nodded calmly. The stallion stared at her, able to clearly see what the mare had in mind as his mouth worked slowly before he asked almost disbelievingly: “Are... are you sure about that, Celestia? I... I mean... not that I doubt you or anything, but... I mean...” “Yes. From the information your parents have already told me and that... Twilight... shared with me...” Celestia took a moment to breathe slowly, and then she looked calmly up as her amethyst eyes burned with determination and her Valkyrie spirit. “We're faced with aggressive and extremely dangerous opponents. We've rarely fought Clockwork Ponies in a unit, and never anything on this scale. But from what their apparent leader, Thesis, revealed, they've been building something that's nearing completion. Thesis also claimed to be a military unit, Scrivener mentioned...” “Yes, he was...” Antares frowned, looking down and shivering once as he shook his head slowly. But when he realized Celestia was silently asking him to go ahead, he closed his eyes and murmured: “He was intelligent, and he was confident. But he didn't... he didn't understand us. We frustrated him, and he didn't like at all being insulted. He was calm and maybe even compassionate, but he had a lot of pride, but a broken sense of self, too. He's trying to free himself from his past, I think.” Celestia nodded slowly, and Meadowlark squeezed Antares' front hoof gently, the stallion smiling a little over at her before she asked quietly: “Can you tell us about Protelea?” Antares shivered violently, and when Celestia frowned worriedly and Meadowlark leaned in towards him, he sighed and shook his head. “It's okay. I just... don't know how to talk about her. She was like some kind of... bug queen. But not like... Chrysalis. More like what Chrysalis became, on a smaller scale, Griselda.” He shook his head slowly, looking down and rubbing silently at his face before swallowing thickly, blocking out the memories of Cancer even as he heard the chuckling of the destruction entity in his mind, and then he gave a faint smile as he returned his eyes to the two mares. “Sorry. Just... bad memories. You never really get over some things, do you?” “They say time heals all wounds, Antares, and I believe that... the problem is that most of us don't live long enough for those wounds to finish healing.” Celestia said softly, and Antares nodded a few times before the mare asked quietly: “Let's start with her personality. Was she like Thesis?” “No, no... not at all. She was... a parasite.” Antares shivered, shaking his head slowly. “She could have killed me. She easily could have killed me. But she didn't want to just kill me... she wanted to hurt me. She wanted to make me afraid of her first, and she wanted to watch me suffering. I think she took pleasure in it.” Celestia nodded slowly, and when she gestured at the stallion with a hoof, he nodded and continued quietly: “She controlled bugs. She... she was full of them. And she spat acid and was... just... evil. But...” He shifted uneasily, then plunged ahead: “You know how the mire responds to Dad? Well, I... I was panicking, and I thought I could maybe get back inside the fortress to get away from her. Stupid idea, of course, running through a big open yard, and she got me from above. But the mire... it didn't just protect me, it didn't seem like it responded at all to her. In fact, she didn't try to make contact with it at all...when she landed, it was more so she could pin me than she wanted to try and draw energy from it. Something tells me it has something to do with what Thesis mentioned, that they were all incomplete.” Celestia frowned at this, rubbing slowly at her features as she murmured: “But Scrivener and Luna told me that Cheshire was filled with the mire... how did you drive her off?” “I shot a blast of purifying flame literally down her throat after getting soaked in mire.” Antares replied with a wry smile, and Celestia gave him a slight smile. “Her bugs couldn't chew through all the muck covering me, so I just ignored what she threw at me and kept blasting her until she ran away.” “Interesting.” Celestia rubbed at the underside of her muzzle slowly before she said finally: “We still have two Replicants to analyze, but this is a good start. And if Thesis is trying to create something, he'll undoubtedly want to defend it as effectively as possible. If the death entity is still trapped in Helheim, I suspect he'll send Cheshire out to attack us on the field while he fortifies his position around whatever it is he's building.” Antares nodded, and then Celestia reached up and touched his shoulder gently. “Get some rest, Antares. I'll come back in an hour to check on you, and then you can help with my strategy and preparation. The ponies of this layer insist on coming too, and I'm in no position to refuse their offer. They can at least provide us cover and watch our backs.” “All hooves on deck?” Antares asked, and Celestia nodded, the stallion smiling a little before he settled back in bed as Meadowlark gazed up softly. “Alright. I think... I think they deserve the chance. That, and we don't entirely know what might be waiting for us, right?” Celestia smiled and nodded, and then she gave Meadowlark a soft look before turning and striding back through the doorway. The Pegasus watched her leave, then she hesitated only a moment before quietly slipping up onto the bed, and Antares gazed at her as she slipped over him before leaning down and kissing him softly. He smiled as his eyes slipped closed, kissing her slowly in return before she drew back a bit and closed her eyes, burying her head against his chest. His forelegs wrapped around her as he held her against him, both breathing slowly before the mare murmured: “I'm going to be watching you the whole time, Mir. And if you get hurt again, I'm never going to let you live it down.” “I know.” Antares said softly, opening his eyes and gazing at the Pegasus with a faint smile, and then he kissed her forehead gently as he hugged her fiercely against his body, rubbing a hoof silently along her back and keeping her comfortable and close. Top ↑